A Sudanese soldier holding a China-made Ching Kong anti-drone system in Sudan. It is available for purchase in a Chinese ecommerce website Global Sources, at the rate of $2680 per unit.
Forces allied with the Sudanese Armed forces are fielding another Chinese-made anti-drone jammer to fight off unmanned systems operated by the Rapid Support Force (RSF).
This is the second Chinese counter-UAV system employed by Sudanese forces in its ongoing conflict with the RSF rebels.
The commercially available anti-drone system is made by Ching Kong Technology, with the brand name CKJ-2306G6.
According to the manufacturer, the portable gun type high power drone signal jammer provides protection for all commercial Drones / UAVs ike Dji, Mavic 2 3 pro, Phantom Pro, Phantom 4 Phantom 3 Professional, Advanced, Standard series, Inspire Seres etc.
It blocks drones operating on the RC2.4G/58GHz/GPSL1/L2/L5 or RC 868/915 400MHZ to 1.4GHZ frequency signal.
It’s high-gain 12D bi-directional antenna has a jamming range or 500 to 2000 meters, with the inbuilt battery working for around 39 minutes to 1 hour.
It’s applications includes the protection of sensitive areas like military facilities, national strategic facilities, nuclear sites, airports, and political areas.
It is available for purchase in a Chinese ecommerce website Global Sources, at the rate of $2680 per unit.
The Ching King anti-drone jammer is being employed in parallel with another Chinese-made anti-drone jammer; the SkyFend Hunter SHH100, a state-of-the-art anti-drone system designed to provide a comprehensive solution to unauthorized drone intrusions.
As drones become increasingly accessible and affordable, their usage has grown exponentially across the African continent. They are now being employed by non-state actors for illicit activities, posing significant security challenges. Non-state actors, including insurgent groups, terrorists, and criminal organizations, have been leveraging drones for reconnaissance, surveillance, and weapon delivery purposes.
The proliferation of drone technology across Africa has significantly expanded humanitarian, and military operations, although, still an emerging technology in the continent, however, in the hands of non-state armed groups, they pose a significant threat.
Despite the growing threat posed by drones in Africa, many African militaries are falling short in fielding adequate counter-unmanned aerial vehicle ( UAV) solutions, leaving security forces vulnerable to emerging threats.
Sudan’s Rapid Support Force (RSF) operates a plethora of commercial Off-the-Shelf drones as well as Chinese-made Sunflower suicide drones. The explosive-laden FPV Drones are used by the RSF with the help of Russia’s PMC Wagner Group to target Sudan’s Army positions. The RSF also fields UAE-supplied Serbian Yugoimport mortar-armed heavy drone.
Sudan also operates improvised FPV quadcopter-type kamikaze drones, very likely based on commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) UAVs.
Meanwhile, China is slowly but surely enjoying export success of its counter-drone solutions in Africa and the surrounding region. Their C-UAS offerings are considered affordable and without stringent bureaucratic requirement
